Sponsors (3)
Introduced April 22, 2026 by Alejandro Padilla · Last progress April 22, 2026
The bill secures the Agua Caliente Tribe a legally enforceable water right, land‑into‑trust, and hundreds of millions in federal funding—providing long‑term water security and development funding for the Tribe—at the cost of broad releases of past and potential claims, shifted costs and regulatory changes that may limit non‑tribal water access and local taxing frameworks, and new federal budget obligations contingent on appropriations.
Agua Caliente Tribe and Allottees gain a quantified, federally backed Tribal Water Right (including a 20,000 AFY groundwater allocation with a senior priority date) and the legal authority to manage, lease, and deliver that water, securing long‑term water supply and revenue for tribal uses.
The Tribe receives substantial federal funding and trust assets (including an immediate trust deposit and multi‑hundred‑million dollar appropriations indexed for cost increases) to build water infrastructure, support groundwater augmentation, and finance long‑term operations and maintenance.
About 2,102 acres are placed into trust for the Tribe, expanding the tribal land base and enabling tribal control over land use, housing, and development on that acreage.
Tribal members and Allottees give up broad categories of past and potential future claims in exchange for the settlement, potentially foreclosing remedies or compensation that could prove more valuable later and limiting legal recourse for unforeseen harms.
Non‑tribal water users, local water districts, and other regional stakeholders may face reduced access to native groundwater, less regulatory control, and higher fees because the Tribe's senior water priority and new tribal fees/charges can restrict availability and raise costs.
The federal government (and thus taxpayers) must provide roughly $500 million in appropriations and indexed funding for the settlement and infrastructure, and Secretary discretion to reprice/index may increase federal spending and budget uncertainty.
Based on analysis of 14 sections of legislative text.
Confirms a 20,000 AFY Agua Caliente tribal water right, places specified federal land into trust, authorizes a Tribal Tax replacing county property tax on possessory interests, and funds settlement accounts for implementation.
Settles and quantifies Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians water rights (up to 20,000 acre-feet per year), places about 2,102 acres of federal land into trust for the Tribe, authorizes sale of specific federal facility land to the Coachella Valley Water District, and creates a federally managed Settlement Trust Fund with large mandatory transfers to implement the settlement. The Act replaces many tribal and trustee claims with agreed waivers, authorizes a Tribal Tax on possessory interests in lieu of Riverside County ad valorem property tax (with required distributions to local agencies), requires environmental review and enforcement mechanisms, limits gaming eligibility on transferred lands, and makes the settlement effective only after specified conditions (funding, executed agreements, court decree, and waivers) are met.